


What He Honestly Wants to Say.

by myblueworld



Series: Those Little Things [17]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9141841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myblueworld/pseuds/myblueworld
Summary: Raheem and Leroy go out for a drink. Raheem gets really drunk. And we all know what happens whet people get drunk. They start to talk. About things.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an anonymous request on Tumblr  
> Prompt: Things you say when you are drunk

* * *

Leroy stares back at Raheem with hesitation. The rational part of him wants to say no, wants to tell Raheem that it's a bad idea. But the emotional part of him can't say no to Raheem. He chews his lower lip, and then sighs.

"I don’t know, Raheem. I mean, if Pep finds out that-"

“The gaffer doesn’t have to know.” Raheem cuts him. “He will not find out if we don’t tell him about it. If you say nothing to him.”

As if he wants to convince Leroy more, Raheem puts his hand on Leroy’s shoulder and squeezes it.

“C’mon, Leroy! There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun every once in a while.”

Leroy chews his lower lip. His eyes dart from Raheem’s to the tip of his boots. Raheem squeezed his shoulder once again.

“Please?”

Leroy turns his neck to look at Raheem. Maybe it’s the way Raheem looks at him. Or maybe how his hand is still there, on Leroy’s shoulder. Or maybe, it’s just because it’s Raheem. And for reasons that he doesn’t really want to understand yet, he can’t say no to Raheem.

So he takes a deep sigh, and lets it out in a long breath.

“Okay, okay…” he says. Even so, there is still that struggle inside of him, questioning his own decision. But then Raheem grins, white teeth glistening as he pats Leroy’s shoulder.

“Cool! I’ll pick you up at 9 tonight, okay?”

Leroy tries to returns Raheem’s smile.

“It’s going to be fun. I’ll promise you.”

Leroy looks at Raheem and his easy, open smile. And he starts to think that maybe, maybe it’s not that bad at all. Maybe it’s going to be fun.

 

* * *

 

The sound of the music is loud. Too loud, it’s making Leroy have a headache. And the smell of alcohol, along with the flashing colorful light, they make Leroy’s head spin a little.

The nudge on his shoulder makes Leroy turns to look at Raheem. Raheem is grinning, so wide, eyes glassy with intoxication.

“C’mon! Drink!”

Leroy shakes his head. He already has some and honestly, the way the drink burns his tongue, it’s not something that he’s crazy about.

“I have enough drink tonight,” he says. “And maybe you do too?” he adds, carefully.

It looks like Raheem is too drunk to be offended. He chuckles and reaches out for his glass. “Me? Maybe. Maybe I have enough. But to have more fun never hurts, right?” He raises his glass, grinning at Leroy. “Cheers, mate!” he says, and drinks the remaining sparkling liquid in his glass.

Leroy tries to curl up a smile. It is nice to see Raheem smiling so wide like that, looking so young and carefree, without any pressure from the training and games and the press. But Leroy prefers to see a happy Raheem in a different place, in a different situation. Not in this place where the loud music and swirling lights make things too surreal to be remembered.

It's a long night for Leroy. He glances at his wrist, getting a bit panic to see that it’s already past an hour from midnight. Then he feels a sudden weight leaning against his side.

“Raheem?” Leroy carefully holds Raheem’s shoulder to pull him away. “Are you alright?”

Raheem stares at Leroy, and there is something more than just a drunken look there. Raheem puts his hand on Leroy’s cheek.

“You are so  gorgeous, you know that?”

Leroy’s eyes widened a little and heat quickly spread on his face.

“You are so very, very gorgeous,” Raheem says again.

Leroy blinks. “Uhm. Thank you?” he says, not really sure on how to respond to that. In front of him, half-leaning to Leroy’s hand that still holding him, Raheem giggles.

“I like you, Leroy. I like you so much.”

Leroy can feel his ears and cheeks are burning now. “Really?” he blurts out.

Raheem stops giggling. Then he nods. There is that look again in his eyes.

“I do, Leroy. I really do like you. Can’t you see how I smile at you?”

For a moment, it’s like the world  stops spinning and freezes. Just for a mere second. Because then Raheem just falls down on Leroy, his head buries on Leroy’s chest as he groans.

“I don’t feel so good…”

Leroy sighs. There is a bitter feeling clenching his heart. Trying to ignore it, he carefully puts Raheem to rest his back on the seat instead of on him. Eyes still watching Raheem, Leroy fishes his phone out. He knows that he needs help. So he scrolls on his contacts, until he finds the number that he wants.

It takes a while before his call is picked up.

“Hello?”

”Uhm, Aleks?” Leroy hopes Aleks can still hear him with all the noises around him.

“Leroy? What’s up, kid?”

“I am sorry for calling you at this hour. But I have a very drunk Raheem here, and..” Leroy pauses to glance at Raheem again. Raheem still leaning his back on the couch, eyes half-closed. Leroy sighs. He rubs his temple with his thumb. “And I don’t think he can drive now…”

Leroy prepares himself to hear some nasty comments or amused laughter or anything like that. But instead, he can only hear a sigh from Aleks.

“Text me where you guys are. I’ll pick you up.”

“Thank you, Aleks. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, kid.”

As he slides his finger on his phone to end the call, somehow Leroy has a mental image of Aleks shaking his head desperately, groaning internally on how stupid his teammates can be. Leroy won't blame Aleks to do so, though. Even he himself is embarrassed by how stupid he can be when it comes to Raheem.

* * *

 

Forty minutes later, Leroy is already sitting on the passenger seat of Aleks’ car. He turns his head a little to the back seat. Raheem is already sleeping, Leroy can hear the sound of him snoring.

“Thank you so much, Aleks.” Leroy says as he turns his head again to look at Aleks.

Aleks only hums to answer him, his eyes fixed on the street in front of him.

“You…” Leroy clears his throat before he continues. “You won’t tell Pep, will you?”

Aleks flashes a quick glance at Leroy before returning his eyes on the street.

“No.” he says.

“Thank you…” Leroy says. Aleks only nods.

For a while, none of them say anything. Leroy fidgets nervously with the hem of his shirt, trying to think of something to say, to fill the silence. He wishes that Aleks had turned on the radio, so at least the silence wouldn’t be really heavy like this. But then Aleks is the first one who breaks the silence.

“So,” Aleks says. He glances a little at the back seat. “Did he do anything stupid?”

“No,” Leroy shakes his head quickly. He runs his hand on the back of his neck. “He didn’t do…anything. He just… sat there… and…” Leroy shrugs his shoulder. “He just… talks…”

“Really? Good.” Aleks nods a little. “What did he talk about?”

Flashes of things that Raheem said cross Leroy’s mind. Suddenly he feels Alek’s car is a little bit too hot.

“Nah. Nothing really important."

“ _Oh_?” This time, Aleks sound a little amused. He glances again at Leroy. Leroy swears that the Serbian is trying to hold back a smile.

“Yeah,” Leroy shrugs his shoulders again. “Just some… nonsense.”

“ _Oh_.”

They pass a street lamp, and the light falls on Aleks’ face. The Serbian really has a small, amused smile on his lips.

“You know what they said about drunk people?”

Leroy shifts on his seat.

“Drunk people… say stupid things?” he answers, not really sure about his own answer. Not really sure on what Aleks is expecting.

Aleks laughs. The sound of his laughter is so loud in the car, and it makes Leroy feels so stupid.

“Yeah. Maybe. But you know what, kid?” Aleks turns his head to look at Leroy. “Drunk people say honest things. Things that they are too embarrassed to say when they are sober.”

Leroy ducks his head down.

“Oh,” he says. He tries to find something else to add to that. But his brain fails him. His brain can only replay the words that Raheem said. The look in Raheem’s eyes when he said them.

“And whatever he said to you, I am sure that it’s the things that he honestly wants to say to you, but just don’t have the courage to, yet.”

Leroy carefully turn his head to look at Aleks. Holding the steering wheel steadily, the Serbian is looking at the street. His smile still lingers on his lips. But this is a different kind of smile. It looks more like a knowing smile. An encouraging smile.

Leroy looks to the window. Gazing at the street lamps, Leroy thinks about the things that _he_ wants to say to Raheem, but just doesn't know how to.

 

* * *

 


End file.
